NBA Head Coach Fired Nearly 2 Years After Winning Championship

By Brian Jones

An NBA head coach is looking for a new team. According to ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with head coach Frank Vogel. He is expected to be told as soon as Monday, and this comes nearly two years after Vogel led the Lakers to their first championship since the 2010 season. The 2021-22 Lakers had a disappointing season, finishing with a 33-49 record. They will miss the playoffs for the second time in four seasons. 

On Sunday, Vogel spoke to reporters about his future with the team following a 146-141 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets. "I haven't been told s— and I'm going to enjoy tonight's game, celebrate what these young guys did in terms of scratching and clawing and getting back in this game and getting a W, and we'll deal with tomorrow, tomorrow. Before the season, the Lakers were expected to do big things with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook who joined the team after spending the 2020-21 season with the Washington Wizards. But due to injuries, James, Davis and Westbrook only played together in 21 games and the Lakers were 11-10 in those games. 

"He kept his cool the whole time," Lakers player Malik Monk said about Vogel's approach to the season with his job on the line. "Didn't talk about no problems like that. Didn't talk about anything like that, man. He came in and worked and always gave us a great game plan ... He was always about us. It was never really about him. And I praise him for that, man. I know that was pretty hard on him, but he never talked about it. He never changed his demeanor."  

Vogel, 48, was hired to be the Lakers' head coach in 2019. Before joining the Lakers, Vogel was the head coach of the Orlando Magic for two seasons, and his teams failed to reach the playoffs. In 2011, Vogel became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014. Vogel took over as the head coach after being an assistant coach for the team from 2007 to 2011. He also was an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. 

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